The Foolproof Way to Make Homemade Lollipops
Sure, it's easy to buy lollipops at the store, but this old-fashioned favorite is fun to make at home. The best part about making your own lollipops is that you can completely customize them—choose your favorite flavors and create combinations that appeal to you, your family, and friends. Coconut-lime? You got it. Spicy pineapple mint? Sounds delicious. Once you master the basic recipe, you'll love crafting new combos and experimenting with your own lollipops. (They make great gifts, too.)
Author: Thespruceeats/Photo credit to thespruceeats.com
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ teaspoons extract (vanilla, mint, cinnamon, coconut, etc.)
- Food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Ingredients for homemade lollipops
- Prepare your lollipop molds by spraying them lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Wipe out the inside with a paper towel so that only the thinnest layer of oil remains.
- Lollipop mold sprayed with nonstick spray and wiped down
- Insert the lollipop sticks into the molds.
- Lollipop sticks in the mold
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, and brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
- Syrup for lollipops in a pot with pastry brush
- Once boiling, insert a candy thermometer. Allow mixture to boil without stirring until candy reaches 300 F (149 C). This is called the hard-crack stage.
- Candy thermometer in a pot
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Allow it to sit until it stops bubbling completely. Stir in the extract of your choice and, if desired, food coloring.
- Stirring in green syrup for lollipops
- Spoon the candy into the mold cavities, making sure to cover the back of the stick.
- Homemade lollipops in a mold
- Cool completely and remove the lollipops once hardened, about 10 minutes or so. Enjoy.
